Climate change will see a rise in Naxalite activities: Report

Bengaluru, Jan 7: The world is now deeply concerned over the menace of climate change and efforts are on to arrive at political consensus to tackle the imminent danger. However, climate change is considered a threat not just because it can lead to deep impact on food security and geographical safety but also bolster social insecurity by means of helping the rebel and extremist activists like Naxalites. A report authored by researchers Pernilla Nordqvist and Florian Krampe for Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said last September.

The report has apprehended that climate change will not only worsen socio-economic and political disparity in regions like South Asia and South-East Asia as those in power will decide who gets how much of the limited resources, resulting in dissent and clashes.

"The climate-conflict linkage primarily plays out in contexts that are already vulnerable to climate change and violence, and where income is highly dependent on agriculture and fishing," IndiaSpend quoted Nordqvist who said this in an email.

Human activities have seen the temperature going up by a degree already compared to what it was in the pre-industrial times, according to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and by another a decade or two, global warming is likely to touch 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The two researchers went through 2,000 peer-reviewed studies on the relationship between change and conflict and zeroed in on 21 of the most authoritative works for preparing their report. Their findings from India showed that both rebel groups and government forces find it easier to recruit people in the face of approaching drought.

"In some areas affected by the Naxalite conflict, the worsening of livelihood conditions has been related to the increased intensity of ongoing civil conflicts. During a drought, or a potential drought, there is an increased risk that rebels and government actors recruit or cooperate with civilians in exchange for livelihood and provision of food," IndiaSpend reported.

Naxalites could make use of the climate-related events to gain power in a conflict which is already underway and rebels could accelerate their violence against civilians to ensure their groups' food security, the report added.